Mannah: "It's great to have Willie Tonga back"

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Pirtek Parramatta Eels club captain Tim Mannah says he's excited to have Willie Tonga make his comeback into the first grade side this weekend, for the experience he brings to the back row.

Willie is making his first appearance in the side this season after suffering a pre-season injury.

"He brings that experience and a calm head and shoulders; he's one of those players who I've been really excited about coming back," Tim said.

"So he'll definitely cause some headaches for the opposition, and his experience is something a lot of the guys look up to, and they'll grow a few inches just by having him on the field."

Willie's experience will aide the side, with Ricky Stuart bringing in a number of fresh faces to the team to play the Penrith Panthers.

"[They bring a lot of] energy and enthusiasm - like Kaysa Pritchard, he's one of those guys who naturally does that," Tim said.

"He's a charismatic kind of guy and brings a lot of energy to the team, so I had a little chat to him to make sure he brings that, and they're not bringing the baggage from the big losses from the last few weeks."

Tim admits it's going to be a challenge to defeat the Panthers, who are on a winning streak over the last few matches.

"Their forward pack did a great job for them on the weekend, they set a great foundation, and then their guys like Luke Walsh and young Matt Moylan at the back benefit from that," Tim said.

"So we've got to make sure we turn up in the middle and do a good job. We've got a few fresh faces this week so they'll be good for us. I think a lot of us are keen to get out there and redeem ourselves from Monday night."

Tim says it's exciting to be back at Parramatta Stadium for the first time in over a month.

"We're really glad to be back here, we've had a few good performances and done well every time we've played here."

"We went to keep that record up for the rest of the year and make sure our fans know this place is where they can keep turning up and know they're going to get a good performance from us."